Royal Festival Hall with shops, restaurants and terrace bar overlooking the river Thames

Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre. Modern and contemporary art.

Outdoor sculpture from one of the many temporary visiting exhibitions.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Opening Hours:Royal Festival Hall is open daily from 10am-11pm.

The Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room:
Monday - Thursday: 1 hour before the start of a performance. Closed when there is no performance.
Friday: 5pm - 10pm or 1 hour before the start of matinees.
Saturday and Sunday: 2pm - 10pm or 1 hour before the start of early matinees

Poetry Library: open daily (except Mondays) from 11am to 8pm

Facilities: Cafes,restaurants, bars, toilets, shops and markets

Events:

SOUTHBANK CENTRE

The Southbank Centre is one of the world’s most famous art complexes. The 5 iconic venues which make up the centre are host to classical, pop, jazz, and modern music, poetry, literature, and the visual arts.

With multiple eating and drinking facilities and 100's of free events each year the Southbank Centre is one of London's top visitor attractions.

The Royal Festival Hall

The Royal Festival Hall was built as part of the Festival of Britain celebration in 1951. The 2,900 seat concert hall holds a wide range of performances including music concerts, dance and talks.

This modernist Grade 1 listed building was designed to be a 'visual representation of sound in an abstract form'. The interior has wide staircases and views of London from every level. For both visitors and locals the foyers are a popular meeting place with free lunch time music in the Central Bar on Fridays and Sundays and fantastic Thames views from the terraces’ bars and restaurants.

Hayward Gallery

The Hayward Gallery, opened by the Queen in 1968, holds serveral major modern and contemporary art exhibitions each year. The controversial building which, has been listed for protection by the World Heritage Fund, is a fine example of brutalist architecture in exposed concrete.

With five gallery spaces, two indoor levels and three outdoor sculpture courts, it provides an interesting space for a wide ranging selection of temporary art exhibitions. Works by Leaonardo da Vinci to Anthony Gormley, whose figures were displayed on the outside terraces and tops of surrounding buildings.

Queen Elizabeth Halland Purcell Room

In the same building as the Hayward Gallery, these concert halls holds daily music
and dance performances.

The 920 seat Queen Elizabeth Hall was designed to maximise its interior space and holds major orchestral, choral, and operatic concerts. The more intimate 360 seat Purcell Room
is suited to chamber music, quartets and spoken word events; literature, mime and solo recitals.

Poetry Library

On level 5 of the Royal Festival Hall is the Saison Poetry Library.
It has made the English Arts Council's collection of modern poetry accessible to the public.

It includes works since 1914 from Britain, Irelend and other English speaking countries from around the world. Poetry in translation, poetry written by and for children, rap and
visual (concrete) poetry, where the visual elements are as important as the text. Membership is free and there are many readings and related events.